Bible League: Living His Word God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.— Hebrews 2:4 NIV The Lord God is testifying to something; He is bearing witness to something. What is it? It's the great salvation He has made available through Jesus Christ. It's the great salvation that was first announced by Jesus Himself (Hebrews 2:3). God bears witness to it, because it needs to be made known far and wide, for it's the only way to escape the just punishment that every human being deserves to receive. And when we hear about it, "We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away" (Hebrews 2:1). We must pay attention to it because the stakes are high. The consequences of drifting away are grim. The fact that God testifies to the great salvation means that it's more than just a bunch of words. He adds something that testifies that the words are true. In this way, He confirms the greatness of this great salvation and gives us no excuse to have missed it. God's testimony is a revelation that cannot be ignored with impunity. What's the substance of God's testimony? The announcement of the great salvation comes with actual manifestations of what this salvation entails. People who accept Jesus Christ get liberated from the negative consequences of sin that began in the Garden of Eden. They experience signs, wonders, and miracles. This includes, among other things, being set free from demonic power and being healed of diseases. It includes special gifts of the Holy Spirit that empower and enable them to transform life for the better, to be transformed by Jesus' teachings. God's testimony is recorded right there in the Bible. Anyone who comes in contact with it ignores it at his own peril. One cannot hear the Word and watch the Lord God testify to the truth of His great salvation and expect Him to overlook indifference. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJob 23, 24, 25 Job 23 -- Job Longs to Appear before God NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Job 24 -- Wickedness is Often Unpunished, but there is a Secret Judgment for the Wicked NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Job 25 -- Bildad Says that Man Cannot be Justified before God NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Acts 10:24-48 Acts 10 -- Cornelius' and Peter's Visions; Peter Preaches to the Gentiles NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.Insight There are two requirements for coming to God. Like Peter, we must recognize our own sinfulness. Then, like these fishermen, we must realize that we can't save ourselves. Challenge If we know that we need help, and if we know that Jesus is the only one who can help us, we will be ready to leave everything and follow him. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 33:21 Our heart shall rejoice in Him.Blessed is the fact that Christians can rejoice even in the deepest distress; although trouble may surround them, they still sing; and, like many birds, they sing best in their cages. The waves may roll over them, but their souls soon rise to the surface and see the light of God's countenance; they have a buoyancy about them which keeps their head always above the water, and helps them to sing amid the tempest, "God is with me still." To whom shall the glory be given? Oh! to Jesus--it is all by Jesus. Trouble does not necessarily bring consolation with it to the believer, but the presence of the Son of God in the fiery furnace with him fills his heart with joy. He is sick and suffering, but Jesus visits him and makes his bed for him. He is dying, and the cold chilly waters of Jordan are gathering about him up to the neck, but Jesus puts His arms around him, and cries, "Fear not, beloved; to die is to be blessed; the waters of death have their fountain-head in heaven; they are not bitter, they are sweet as nectar, for they flow from the throne of God." As the departing saint wades through the stream, and the billows gather around him, and heart and flesh fail him, the same voice sounds in his ears, "Fear not; I am with thee; be not dismayed; I am thy God." As he nears the borders of the infinite unknown, and is almost affrighted to enter the realm of shades, Jesus says, "Fear not, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Thus strengthened and consoled, the believer is not afraid to die; nay, he is even willing to depart, for since he has seen Jesus as the morning star, he longs to gaze upon Him as the sun in his strength. Truly, the presence of Jesus is all the heaven we desire. He is at once "The glory of our brightest days; The comfort of our nights." Daily Light on the Daily Path Exodus 12:43 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover: no foreigner is to eat of it;Hebrews 13:10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Ephesians 2:12,13 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. • But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:14,15 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, • by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, Revelation 3:20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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